Do you ever wonder how much germs are carried in your everyday items? There’s no nice way of putting this, it’s a lot. Your toilet seat has fewer germs than the items you would probably consider as clean.

Here are some items which are dirtier than your toilet seat:

Dishcloth

How often do you wash your dishcloth? I would recommend you take a seat for this, as the information discovered by researchers is revolting. Dishcloths hold 456 times the number on a toilet in the average home, mostly because they aren’t replaced as often as they should. Each week, toss your dishcloths in the washing machine and your sponges in the dishwasher, or heat in the microwave (while damp) for 30 seconds.

Handbag

How many places do you put your bag? On the bus, floor or even on the surface in a public toilet? You could probably imagine how much germs there could be on your bag. British researchers studied 25 handbags, the results being that the average handbag is 3 times dirtier than an office toilet seat. Handbags that are used regularly were 10 times dirtier. Even items inside your bag might be worse, especially face creams and lipstick. Next time you have stomach flu, it might be your bag or the contents of it as stomach flu viruses have been traced back to grocery bags. Keep your bags off the ground and regularly wash bag made which are made of fabric. For plastic or leather bags, use disinfectant wipes.

Computers and Laptops

Eating snacks and meals between clicking away at your computer may have led you to your last bug. When British researchers swabbed 33 keyboards in a London office, they found that they contained up to five times the germs of a toilet seat. Don’t worry, you can still eat and type. Just ensure you wash your hands regularly and your computer at least once a week.

Carpet

Bacteria love to munch on dead skin cells. Bacteria are in for a treat. An average person sheds 1.5 million in just an hour! Your carpet has nearly 700 times more than on your toilet seat. Since your vacuum cleaner can’t reach to the bottom of the carpet, hire a company to deep clean at least once a year.

Your Clean Laundry

I bet you weren’t expecting that one? It’s true; your clean laundry is in fact dirtier than your toilet. A load of your dirty underwear will transfer at least 100 million E. Coli Bacteria (the reason behind diarrhoea) to your washing machine. Water settles at the bottom of your washing machine and creates a moist environment that bacteria love. Your toilet seat is too dry to support a very large bacterial population. Have your clothes as clean as they smell and disinfect your machine by washing a load of whites with bleach first, or pour 2 cups of bleach into the detergent compartment, and run an empty wash on the hottest cycle before wiping it dry; leave the door open after. To avoid spreading bacteria, wash underwear separately with hot water and a colour-safe bleach replacement.

Chopping Board

Do you clean your chopping board after every use? Unfortunately, you need more than just washing up liquid to do the trick. Researchers found that the average chopping board has 200 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. You can probably guess who the main culprit is, raw meat. Wash plastic cutting boards with liquid dish detergent and water; soak thoroughly in 2 teaspoons of bleach and 1 gallon of water. For wooden boards, it’s very similar; the only difference is that it’s good to use 2 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. As tempting as it may be, don’t soak overnight.

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